Daft Punk, one of the most influential and popular groups to emerge in the past 30 years, have announced their retirement via a video titled “Epilogue” posted Monday morning. The duo’s longtime publicist, Kathryn Frazier, officially confirmed the split to Variety and declined to provide further details. The eight-minute clip features the duo — Thomas
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Netflix has a new way to get content in front of subscribers: It launched a feature that will automatically download TV shows or movies you might be interested in to your smartphone in based on your preferences and viewing history, so you can watch them in offline mode. The new Downloads For You feature is
A new Netflix documentary will pull back the curtain on the notorious college admissions bribery scandal that ensnared Hollywood celebrities, financiers and other members of the monied elite. “Operation Varsity Blues,” directed by Chris Smith, will debut on the streaming service on March 17, 2021. The film promises to provide a deep dive into the
Olmo Figueredo’s Seville-based La Claqueta, producer of Spain’s Oscar submission “The Endless Trench,” has boarded “The Turtles,” the second feature from Belén Funes, one of the leading lights of Barcelona’s fast-growing – and often women-led – newest wave of filmmakers. Funes’ second feature, following on San Sebastian’s 2019 New Director winner “A Thief’s Daughter,” “The
A portrait of a well-meaning man caught in events he cannot control and understands all too late, Hungarian Denes Nagy’s Berlin Competition entry “Natural Light” has a first trailer, shared exclusively with Variety by sales company Luxbox. Set in icy marshland in Russia during WWII, “Natural Light” accompanies corporal István Semetka, drafted into a Hungarian
In today’s Global Bulletin, Blue Ant Media and Content Catalyst Fund team to promote women creatives working in unscripted; Abacus Media Rights secures rights to “Four Hours at the Capitol”; La Biennale di Venezia opens the call for applicants to this year’s Venice Gap-Finance Market; Goldfinch picks two video game IPs to develop as film
The Museum of Modern Art has unveiled the festival lineup for Doc Fortnight 2021, the 20th edition of its annual showcase of nonfiction films from around the globe. Over 18 documentary features and four short films will be screened as part of the festival. In a concession to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s films will
Discovery’s fourth-quarter earnings report beat forecasts early Monday, as the company also revealed numbers for its subscription streaming service. The company reported earnings of 76 cents per share and revenue of $2.889 billion, vs. Street projections for per-share earnings of 72 cents on revenue of $2.83 billion. During Q4, Discovery officially entered the streaming wars
Hong Kong’s film industry moved ahead on several fronts over the weekend after coronavirus-mandated lockdowns were reduced. But the return to business is likely to be uneven. Cinemas reopened on Thursday, after being ordered shut since Dec. 2, 2020. A local producer-distributor Golden Scene pulled back the curtains on its expansion into exhibition. And Emperor
Picture Tree Intl. has picked up the global sales rights on comedy drama “Risks and Side Effects,” which follows a woman’s kidney transplant journey that threatens to break-up her friendships and marriage. The sales agency will launch sales at the European Film Market (March 1-5). Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer. [embedded
As case rates plummet and vaccinations continue rapidly, England will begin easing lockdown from March 8, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to reveal Monday evening. While schools are likely to open from March 8 in phase one of the easing, and some organized adult outdoor sports activities could resume from March 29 in
Some problems can’t be solved with a prescription. Attempting to do for the opioid epidemic what “Traffic” did for the war on drugs, Nicholas Jarecki’s “Crisis” sets up three separate storylines — a grieving mama with a grudge (Evangeline Lilly), an undercover DEA operative with an imminent bust (Armie Hammer) and a compromised research professor
The Doha Film Institute has recruited a mix of prominent film directors comprising Claire Denis, James Gray and Jessica Hausner, as well as other top notch talents, to act as mentors during its upcoming Qumra Arab industry incubator, which will be held online. Ace cinematographer Phedon Papamichael (“Ford v Ferrari”), and Oscar-winning sound designer Mark
In “Allen v. Farrow,” the four-part docuseries that premiered on HBO Sunday night, documentarians Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering and Amy Herdy have tackled an especially daunting and divisive subject, even for them. The filmmakers behind the documentaries “The Hunting Ground,” “The Invisible War” and “On the Record,” have investigated Dylan Farrow’s 1992 allegations that her
Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn have issued a statement to the press through a spokesperson — Allen’s sister, producer Letty Aronson — in response to the HBO docuseries “Allen v. Farrow” that premiered Sunday. The program details his daughter Dylan Farrow’s allegations of abuse against the director, and includes in-depth interviews with her, Allen’s
Korean theatrical box office slipped back into its rangebound new normal over the weekend, with nationwide gross takings of just $3.32 million between Friday and Sunday. That suggests that the previous weekend’s $4.7 million total was an exception driven by the Lunar New Year festivities. Until audiences rediscover an appetite for film in cinemas, and
When Marcia Wallace died unexpectedly in 2013, “The Simpsons” producers were caught by surprise. It was decided that Wallace’s character, Bart’s teacher (and Ned Flanders’ second wife) Edna Krabappel, would also pass away. But executive producer Al Jean said it always bugged him that Wallace and Mrs. Krabappel didn’t get a proper send-off. Until now.
“SEAL Team” actor Justin Melnick is recovering at home after falling from a helicopter during a private commercial shoot on Saturday, Variety has confirmed. Reports first surfaced last night that a stuntman fell 15-20 feet from a helicopter while fast-roping during a shoot near Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif. The Santa Clarita Sheriff’s
Black History Month is also, unofficially, Black Record Store Day Month. The Record Store Day organization has made it a mission throughout February 2021 to put the spotlight each day on a different Black-owned music shop in the U.S., a cause that has involved bringing in Common to help shine the spotlight on independent retailers
The four-part HBO documentary series “Allen v. Farrow” provides a number of revelations in the much-covered scandal that erupted in 1992 when Woody Allen was accused of sexually abusing the 7-year-old daughter he shared with actor Mia Farrow. Allen, 85, has consistently denied all allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct involving his adopted daughter,
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has steadily increased the fees paid to members for various tasks related to the Golden Globe Awards, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times that could raise tax questions for the nonprofit journalism organization and its members. The small, close-knit HFPA has long been scrutinized for many of
Director Judd Apatow describes himself as the “anti-David Fincher.” “I’m not the person that thinks you need to do 10 or 20 takes to get rid of all self-consciousness, to drain the actors so that they become so pure and in the moment,” the “King of Staten Island” helmer revealed on Variety’s Directors on Directors series. “I love
Zack Snyder’s zombie heist film, “Army of the Dead,” has set its release for May 21 at Netflix. The director announced the news on Sunday via Twitter along with the film’s official poster, adding that a teaser is coming on Thursday. Survivors take all. #ArmyOfTheDead on @Netflix May 21.Teaser this Thursday. pic.twitter.com/sIgDoz6rmz — Zack Snyder
The Beijing Culture-backed tear-jerking comedy “Hi, Mom” grossed $134 million this weekend to finally surpass Wanda Film’s record-breaking Chinese New Year holiday frontrunner “Detective Chinatown 3” in overall box office, having led the latter in single-day returns since Monday. It is now only the sixth film to ever have grossed more than RMB400 million ($62
Disney Plus has added a content disclaimer to the beginning of 18 episodes of “The Muppet Show,” which started streaming on the platform on Friday. “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” the disclaimer reads. “Rather than remove this content, we want
Need a reminder of just how imperiled moviegoing, at least in the U.S., remains due to the pandemic? Look no further than domestic box office charts. “The Croods: A New Age,” which debuted theatrically in November, was the No. 1 movie in North America. The Universal Pictures animated sequel nabbed $1.7 million from 1,913 venues
“One Night in Miami” is a work of historical fiction, but the film stands to make history: Regina King could become the first Black woman nominated for a best director Oscar. King, whose list of honors includes an Oscar and four Emmys for her acting, is also a prolific television director; she makes her feature
A settlement deal has been reached in a 2019 lawsuit alleging that James Franco intimidated his students into sexual situations at the acting school he founded. According to a joint status report filed on Feb. 11, two of Franco’s former students at his now-defunct Studio 4 school, Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, have agreed to
Two of Latin music’s biggest young stars, Bad Bunny and Rosalia, teamed up for a steamy duet on their song “La Noche de Anoche,” on “Saturday Night Live” on Feb 20. Rosalia’s appearance was rumored but unannounced, and while the two are not known to be an item, they nuzzled intimately while performing the song,
The teen-heartache anthem Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” is not only for those who’ve just gotten their learners’ permits in life, per a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that had guest host Regé-Jean Page and much of the show’s male cast bonding over the ballad’s supposed power to rend the hearts of even hardened barflies. Rodrigo, who